Category: Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and now hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. For the rules see her blog.

The topic this week is Favourite Books of 2023. The links are to Goodreads or to my review if I wrote one. I’ve recently posted a list of Ten Five Star Books of 2023, so for this post I’m listing ten different five star books I read in 2023.

Virginia Woolf: A Biography vol 1 1882 – 1912 by Quentin Bell, her nephew. It tells of Virginia Stephen’s childhood and that of her sister Vanessa up to her decision to marry Leonard Woolf. The front cover shows the painting of Virginia Woolf by Roger Fry, a painter and designer and a member of the Bloomsbury Group.

Death is Now My Neighbour by Colin Dexter, the penultimate book in the Inspector Morse series Morse is nearing retirement and he is not a well man and his drinking is causing him problems, enough to make him go to the doctor, who diagnoses diabetes. But does Morse follow his doctor’s advice?

The Locked Room by Elly Griffiths, the 14th Ruth Galloway mystery novel. Forensic archaeologist Dr Ruth Galloway and DCI Harry Nelson are on the hunt for a murderer when Covid rears its ugly head. But can they find the killer despite lockdown?

Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones, a novel that has received both good and bad reviews. I loved it. Set on the island of Bougainville, part of Papua New Guinea in the 1990s during the Bougainville civil war, it’s narrated by Matilda (aged nearly 14). Guided by their teacher Mr Watt, a white man, the children have been reading the story of Pip in Great Expectations, which provides an escape for Matilda from the fear and violence of the horrific events that engulfed the island during the civil war.

The Hairy Bikers Blood, Sweat & Tyres: The Autobiography by Si King and Dave Myers – a fascinating book written in alternate chapters by Si and Dave. It’s funny, informative, sad and happy, revealing the tough times they went through, their health issues, family losses, how they came to work on TV and above all their friendship.

Just Another Missing Person by Gillian McAllister, the fifth book by her that I’ve read and one of the best books I read in 2023. It’s tense, tightly plotted and completely compelling reading, as DCI Julia Day investigates the disappearance of 22 year old Olivia.

A Winter Grave by Peter May. This is cli-fi, about the effects of climate change on human society, set in an independent Scotland in 2051. Addie, a young meteorologist checking a mountain top weather station, discovers the body of a man entombed in ice.

The Vanishing Tide by Hilary Tailor, her debut novel, beautifully written. When Isla inherits the cliffside cottage where she spent her childhood, she must face dark shadows of her past—the mother who rejected her in favour of her art, the aunt whose death haunted them both, and the silence that permeated every room. Digging through the belongings of someone she realises she never really knew, Isla finally has the chance to find answers to the secrets her mother spent a lifetime hiding.

Ultra-Processed People by Chris Van Tulleken, subtitled ‘Why Do We All Eat Stuff That Isn’t Food … And Why Can’t We Stop?’ I kept hearing about ultra processed food, but had little idea what exactly it is, so when I saw this book I thought it would be ideal – and it’s by Chris van Tulleken, who has impressed me on numerous TV programmes on nutrition. It is absolutely fascinating and a real eye opener!

The Sixth Lie by Sarah Ward, the 2nd Mallory Dawson crime thriller. Six lies killed Huw Jones.On New Year’s Eve 2011, Huw Jones disappeared from his bedroom while his father and five friends were downstairs. His body was later discovered on the nearby cliffs at St Non’s. That night, all six friends lied in their statements to the police. Over a decade later, Huw’s mother, Heledd is found dead. Mallory Dawson, a former police police detective, must uncover the lies lurking in the tight-knit community of St Davids. But someone has kept their secrets for years, and they would kill to protect them.

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and now hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. For the rules see her blog.

The topic this week is The Ten Most Recent Additions to My Bookshelf. The links are to Goodreads.

Redhead by the Side of the Road by Anne Tyler – Micah Mortimer is a creature of habit. A self-employed tech expert, superintendent of his Baltimore apartment building seems content leading a steady, circumscribed life. But one day his routines are blown apart when his woman friend tells him she’s facing eviction, and a teenager shows up at Micah’s door claiming to be his son.

These surprises, and the ways they throw Micah’s meticulously organized life off-kilter, risk changing him forever.

Past Lying by Val McDermid – It’s April 2020 and Edinburgh is in lockdown, but that doesn’t mean crime takes a holiday. It would seem like a strange time for a cold case to go hot—the streets all but empty, an hour’s outdoor exercise the maximum allowed—but when a source at the National Library contacts DCI Karen Pirie’s team about documents in the archive of a recently deceased crime novelist, it seems it’s game on again. What unspools is a twisted game of betrayal and revenge, but no one quite expects how many twists it will turn out to have. 

The Complete Works of George Orwell: Novels, Poetry, Essays: (1984, Animal Farm, Keep the Aspidistra Flying, A Clergyman’s Daughter, Burmese Days, Down … Over 50 Essays and Over 10 Poems),

A Memoir of My Former Self: A Life in Writing by Hilary Mantel – In addition to her celebrated career as a novelist, Hilary Mantel contributed for years to newspapers and journals, unspooling stories from her own life and illuminating the world as she found it. “Ink is a generative fluid,” she explains. “If you don’t mean your words to breed consequences, don’t write at all.” A Memoir of My Former Self collects the finest of this writing over four decades.

The Snow Angel by Anki Edvinsson  (Detectives von Klint and Berg Book 1) – A teenage suicide. A murdered pharmacist. A missing girl. Is the obvious connection the right one?

Relocating from Stockholm with her teenage daughter, Detective Charlotte von Klint expected Umeå to be a quiet backwater, a snow-covered change of pace from fighting the criminal underworld of the capital. But when a pharmacist is found brutally murdered in her apartment, and a young girl and her dealer boyfriend vanish without a trace after a party, suddenly Umeå doesn’t seem so benign. And the boy on the bridge doesn’t feel like an isolated incident.

The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods – On a quiet street in Dublin, a lost bookshop is waiting to be found…

For too long, Opaline, Martha and Henry have been the side characters in their own lives. But when a vanishing bookshop casts its spell, these three unsuspecting strangers will discover that their own stories are every bit as extraordinary as the ones found in the pages of their beloved books. And by unlocking the secrets of the shelves, they find themselves transported to a world of wonder… where nothing is as it seems.

The Seventh Son by Sebastian Faulks – When a young American academic Talissa Adam offers to carry another woman’s child, she has no idea of the life-changing consequences.

Behind the doors of the Parn Institute, a billionaire entrepreneur plans to stretch the boundaries of ethics as never before. Through a series of IVF treatments, which they hope to keep secret, they propose an experiment that will upend the human race as we know it.
Seth, the baby, is delivered to hopeful parents Mary and Alaric, but when his differences start to mark him out from his peers, he begins to attract unwanted attention. The Seventh Son is a spectacular examination of what it is to be human. It asks the question: just because you can do something, does it mean you should? Sweeping between New York, London, and the Scottish Highlands, this is an extraordinary novel about unrequited love and unearned power.

Blue Murder by Cath Staincliffe – Meet Janine Lewis. A single mum of three and Manchester’s newest detective chief inspector. Her cheating husband walked out the day she got promoted. Now she’s six months pregnant with his baby and in charge of her first murder case.

The body of a deputy head teacher is found on a lonely allotment. Gutted — his stomach sliced open — and left for dead, The only witnesses are a dying elderly man and a seven-year-old girl. And now the prime suspect has disappeared . . .

The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: What Everyone Needs to Know? by Dov Waxman – No conflict in the world has lasted as long, generated as many news headlines, or incited as much controversy as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Yet, despite, or perhaps because of, the degree of international attention it receives, the conflict is still widely misunderstood. While Israelis and Palestinians and their respective supporters trade accusations, many outside observers remain confused by the conflict’s complexity and perplexed by the passion it arouses.The Israeli-Palestinian What Everyone Needs to Know? offers an even-handed and judicious guide to the world’s most intractable dispute. Writing in an engaging, jargon-free Q&A format, Dov Waxman provides clear and concise answers to common questions, from the most basic to the most contentious. Covering the conflict from its nineteenth-century origins to the latest developments of the twenty-first century, this book explains the key events, examines the core issues, and presents the competing claims and narratives of both sides. Readers will learn what the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is all about, how it has evolved over time, and why it continues to defy diplomatic efforts at a resolution.

All Creatures Great and Small: The Classic Memoirs of a Yorkshire Country Vet by James Herriot – The first volume in the multimillion copy bestselling series.

Delve into the magical, unforgettable world of James Herriot, the world’s most beloved veterinarian, and his menagerie of heartwarming, funny, and tragic animal patients.

For fifty years, generations of readers have flocked to Herriot’s marvelous tales, deep love of life, and extraordinary storytelling abilities. For decades, Herriot roamed the remote, beautiful Yorkshire Dales, treating every patient that came his way from smallest to largest, and observing animals and humans alike with his keen, loving eye.

In All Creatures Great and Small, we meet the young Herriot as he takes up his calling and discovers that the realities of veterinary practice in rural Yorkshire are very different from the sterile setting of veterinary school.

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and now hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. For the rules see her blog.

The topic this week is a Books On My Winter 2023-2024 To-Read List. I hardly ever stick to any of the To-Be-Read lists I compile, mainly because I’m a mood reader. The books listed here are books that at the moment I fancy reading soon, but when the time comes I might find myself reading other books – we’ll see.

Nero by Conn Iggulden – historical fiction about the final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 until his death in AD 68. It’s the first in a new trilogy covering Nero’s early childhood.To be published in May 2024.

 Munich Wolf by Rory Clements – historical fiction set in Munich in the 1930’s, featuring murder squad detective Sebastian Wolff. I’ve enjoyed Clements’ Tom Wilde spy thrillers, so I’m hoping this new series will be just as good. To be published in January 2024.

Brighton Rock by Graham Greene – A gang war is raging through the dark underworld of Brighton. Seventeen-year-old Pinkie, malign and ruthless, has killed a man. Greene’s gripping thriller exposes a world of loneliness and fear, of life lived on the ‘dangerous edge of things’.

And Finally: Matters of Life and Death by Henry Marsh – as a retired brain surgeon, Henry Marsh thought he understood illness, but even he was unprepared for the impact of his diagnosis of advanced cancer. He navigates the bewildering transition from doctor to patient. As the days pass, his mind turns to his career, to the people and places he has known, and to creative projects still to be completed. Yet he is also more entranced than ever by the mysteries of science and nature, by his love for his family, and – most of all – by what it is to be alive.

The Far Pavilions by M M Kaye – the story of an English man – Ashton Pelham-Martyn – brought up as a Hindu. It is the story of his passionate, but dangerous love for Juli, an Indian princess. It is the story of divided loyalties, of friendship that endures till death, of high adventure and of the clash between East and West.

The Rocks Below by Nigel P Bird, a novella telling the story of the aftermath of a massive storm off the East coast of Scotland. As people are clearing up the devastation, strange things happen. People and animals go missing. Amongst the debris strewn across the beaches, there are some huge boulders, which a local geology lecturer decides to analyse.

Death by a Honeybee by Abigail Keam – Josiah Louise Reynolds, a former art history professor, was once a celebrity with wealth, social position, and a famous husband. Now her circumstances have drastically altered. She is now a full time beekeeper who finds her world turned upside down when a man is found dead in her bee yard, only to discover the victim is her competitor and nemesis. 

The Innocent by Matthew Hall – a prequel to the Jenny Cooper ‘Coroner series (I enjoyed reading two of these). When Coroner Jenny Cooper crashes her car one bright September morning, she finds her mind propelled back to the past – to ten years earlier when she was embroiled in the most difficult of cases when a fourteen year old girl in her care is killed, falling under a train. It seems both the girl’s family and the authorities are determined to prove Jenny responsible. But what is the real truth behind Natasha’s tragic death?

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer – a remarkable true story of a boy’s life in Malawi, about human inventiveness and its power to overcome crippling adversity. It will inspire anyone who doubts the power of one individual’s ability to change his community and better the lives of those around him.

3500: An Autistic Boy’s Ten-Year Romance with Snow White by Ron Miles –

Benjamin, a nine-year-old autistic boy with a love of Disney, was taking his first trip to Walt Disney World. The last thing his parents expected was to see him come alive. What followed was a remarkable tale of inspiration, heartbreak, dedication and joy as Benjamin’s family relocated from Seattle to Orlando in order to capture that magic and put it to practical use.

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and now hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. For the rules see her blog.

The topic this week is  Books with Weather Events in the Title/on the Cover. A list of titles with weather-related words in them like storm, rain, blizzard, flood, lightning, hail, snow, wind, etc. OR covers with lightning/storms in the picture.

I’ve chosen books with weather events in the titles and on the covers. All but one are books I’ve read and enjoyed.The links go to my posts on the books.

Blue Lightning by Ann Cleeves, the fourth in her Shetland Island Quartet, featuring Detective Jimmy Perez. It’s set on Fair Isle, his home island. With the autumn storms raging, the island feels cut off from the rest of the world. Perez investigates a murder at the Bird Observatory.

The Body in the Ice by A J Mackenzie, the 2nd Hardcastle and Chaytor Mystery set in Romney Marsh and the surrounding countryside in 1796-7 when the winter was exceptionally harsh and cold and on Christmas Day a body is found, frozen in a pond. There’s no modern technology, just old-fashioned crime detection and deduction and a certain amount of intuition.

By Sword and Storm by Margaret Skea, the third book in the Munro Saga. It’s historical fiction set in 1598 when Adam Munro and his family were living in France as the French Wars of Religion drew to an end. Adam is a colonel  in the Scots Gardes, an elite Scottish regiment whose duties included the provision of a personal bodyguard to the French King, Henri IV.

The Dark Flood Rises by Margaret Drabble, a novel exploring the ending of life, and the nature of ageing, centring around Fran Stubbs, and set against a backdrop of rising floods in Britain and in the Canaries. It looks at the effects of the influx of immigrants arriving by boat to the Canaries from Africa and of the effect of the tremor off the small Canary Island of El Hierro on the tides.

A Deadly Thaw by Sarah Ward, the second in the Francis Sadler series set in the fictional town of Bampton in Derbyshire. In 2004 Lena Fisher was arrested for suffocating her husband, Andrew. In 2016, a year after Lena’s release from prison, Andrew was found dead in a disused mortuary.

Instructions for a Heatwave by Maggie O’Farrell. A novel set in July 1976 when London is in the grip of a heatwave. (It was not just London, because I remember it very well where I was living in Cheshire in the north-west.) Gretta’s husband pops out of the house to buy a newspaper – but he doesn’t come back – this is a story of a family in crisis.

The Mist by Ragnar Jonasson, Nordic Noir. Jonasson’s writing brings the scenery and the weather to life – you can feel the isolation and experience what it is like to be lost in a howling snowstorm. The emotional tension is brilliantly done too, the sense of despair, confusion and dread is almost unbearable. 

Rain by Melissa Harrison, a ‘meditation on the English landscape in wet weather.’ She describes four walks in the rain over four seasons, across Wicken Fen, Shropshire, the Darent Valley and Dartmoor.

The Rising Tide by Ann Cleeves, the 10th Vera Stanhope mystery novel. It’s set on the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, a tidal island just off the coast of Northumberland, only accessible across a causeway when the tide is out. Vera and her team investigate the death of Rick Kelsall who was discovered hanged from the rafters of his small bedroom on the island. 

Snowblind by Ragnar Jonasson, more Nordic Noir, set in the tiny town of Siglufjördur in Iceland, accessible only via a small mountain tunnel. Ari Thór Arason, a rookie policeman, investigates the deaths of a young woman found lying half-naked in the snow, bleeding and unconscious, and a highly esteemed, elderly writer who fell to his death in the local theatre. This is one of my TBRs.